Outrageously Yours (9 page)

“I am.” His tone was quiet but sincere.

“Thanks,” she said with a shy smile. “But I did what I had to do. I made it look like I had an outrageous life. Now I’m going to retire my Claire Carnage name. It’s not for me.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” He glanced at her arm and wondered how bad the rest of the bruises were. But he knew she wasn’t going to let him kiss and make it better.

“Although you should see the pictures Deanna and Alison took.” She grabbed her phone and swiped the screen. “I swear I’m flying through the air in one of them.”

Jason winced and placed his hand on her arm to stop her. “Some other time. Why don’t you sit back and relax. How about something to drink?”

“No, thanks. Oh!” She slapped her palms on the bar as excitement danced in her eyes. She reminded him of champagne, Jason decided. Fresh, bright and fizzy. “I was thinking about your party on Friday. You should make a special hors d’oeuvre to go with the wine.”

“We are. We are pairing our merlot with a cheese and fruit platter. The kitchen is also making truffle meatballs, a smoke duck tostada with a cherry salsa and—”

“That sounds wonderful but I want you to make an appetizer that celebrates me.” She twisted her lips as she considered her words. “No, inspired by me. I think that will solidify my party-girl reputation for the night.”

Jason immediately thought of a dessert and just as quickly rejected it. It wasn’t elegant and it couldn’t compete with the other appetizers.

Her eyes widened with delight. “You have something in mind.”

“It won’t work. It’s not fancy enough.” She deserved something elegant and stunning.

“That’s fine. I’m not fancy,” she insisted. “What was it?”

Jason shook his head. He needed to come up with something else. Something that hadn’t been done before.

A voice boomed. “Claire?”

They heard her
name being called from the far side of the wine bar. Jason glanced up and saw an older man sitting at one of the tables and waving her over.

Claire gave a nod. “That’s Dr. Maibe,” she told Jason. “He’s the orthodontist I’m working with.”

Jason studied the man in the dark suit. The deep lines in his face suggested his mouth was in a perpetual frown. “He doesn’t look happy.”

“He never does,” she whispered. “He’s kind of a handful.”

“More than me?” Jason asked lightly.

“More than you,” Claire agreed with a smile as she slid off her bar stool. “I don’t think he understands what I do. Will you excuse me? I have a feeling he has a few questions.

“Sure.” He grabbed the portfolio Claire had created for him and went to his office. Jason was tempted to grab a notebook and brainstorm some ideas for Claire’s appetizer. He was excited about the challenge she had given him. He paused and looked at the door. Was this idea to help put her into the spotlight, or was it designed to get him to create a culinary masterpiece? Knowing Claire, it was probably both. He wanted to create something for her, but he wasn’t a chef.

“You ruined everything!”

Jason heard the orthodontist’s voice clearly from his office. He whipped open the door and strode to the corner where the doctor was now towering over Claire. He didn’t like the man’s aggressive stance.

“Dr. Maibe, I’m sorry.” Claire’s shoulders were hunched and her head was bent. “There has obviously been a miscommunication, but we can fix this.”

“Fix it?” Anger shook in the orthodontist’s voice as he flailed his arm in the air. “It’s too late! Your mistake cost me money! I’m going to sue you for every last dime.”

Claire flinched and she took a step back. “I accept full responsibility and I will fix it for you at no extra charge.”

“You stupid bitch—”

Jason moved between Claire and the older man. “You need to leave,” he said in a low, fierce tone. He fought the urge to grab the man and throw him out the door. “I don’t tolerate bullies in my place.”

“Bullies?” The orthodontist’s eyes went wild. “How dare you.”

“You are threatening my woman, trying to intimidate her and calling her names. You are not welcome here. Get out now before I throw you out.”

Claire grabbed his arm. “Jason, it’s okay, I got this.”

“No, you don’t have this,” Dr. Maibe said with a sneer. “You made a mistake and made me look like a fool.”

“You’re doing that all on your own,” Jason said calmly as anger whipped through him. “This is your final warning.”

“I’m leaving.” The orthodontist jutted out his chin. “And you can forget about working for me, Claire Miller. I swear, you’re so dumb you couldn’t find your way out of a paper bag.”

Jason saw red as fury erupted inside him. He grabbed the man by his jacket and barely heard Claire’s startled cry. The blood was pounding in his ears as he marched Maibe over to the exit and threw him out.

Jason brushed off his hands and turned away from the door. He saw the customers watching him with gaping mouths and wide eyes. A few had their cell phones out to document what had transpired.

Claire walked briskly toward him. Her face was dark red with embarrassment. He’d wanted to take care of her, but had he just made everything worse?

9

C
LAIRE
HURRIED
INTO
Jason’s office and away from curious eyes. He was right behind her. Her face warmed and her muscles shook as emotions clashed inside her. She pressed her hand against her mouth, refusing to speak until they were somewhere private.

She waited until Jason closed the door and then she whirled around to face him. “What is wrong with you, Jason?” Her voice was low and fierce.

“Me?” He motioned at the door with a jerk of his thumb. “You should ask Maibe what got into him. Why does he think he has the right to yell at anyone? Do you let your clients talk to you like that?”

She covered her face with her hands and gave a growl of frustration before she dropped them to her side. “Jason, I had to take care of this myself. How would you like it if I stepped in while you were having an argument with one of your vendors?”

“I wouldn’t let you,” he decided.

Claire wanted to stamp her feet. He just didn’t understand that he hadn’t been helpful. “This has been so embarrassing,” she muttered.

Jason’s eyes widened. “I embarrassed you? I wasn’t the one who caused a scene. I was trying to help. I was protecting you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” she insisted. “It’s my professional reputation on the line, Jason. I needed to talk to Dr. Maibe by myself and prove that I can handle the situation. You stepped in because you didn’t think I
could
take care of it.”

“You didn’t defend yourself at all,” Jason pointed out softly.

“I was waiting for the right moment.” Her tone had taken a defensive edge. “I could have calmed him down but you interfered.”

“Why shouldn’t I have interfered? He made the argument very public.” A muscle twitched in his jaw as he held his anger in check. “This is my place and you are my woman. I had every right to step in.”

His woman? Claire blinked and stood still as she felt the jolt of surprise. He’d said that to Maibe, too. But she wasn’t his woman. Not really. It was pretend. He was getting caught up in his role and treating her like a real partner. She had been doing the same. It was easy to slip into the fantasy. It was a taste of what it would be like if she shared her life with Jason. But they wanted very different things in their lives, and she had to remember why they’d started this.

Claire watched him carefully. Did Jason truly see her as his woman? “No one would have thought less of you if you had allowed me to handle the argument.”

“Less of me?” His eyebrows dipped as he stared at her with incomprehension. “This has nothing to do with me.”

“I understand that you were protecting what is yours. It was an instinct you followed and you couldn’t help yourself. But Dr. Maibe is
my
client.”

“Not anymore. He fired you,” Jason said as he crossed his arms. “And good riddance to him.”

“I deserved to be fired,” Claire argued. Her breath hitched in her throat. It hurt to say it but she knew it was true. “I made a mistake. I didn’t deliver what I promised.”

“No, I heard enough of the argument. Everyone did. Ask them who was at fault. He’s blaming you because he didn’t communicate—”

Claire held her hands up to stop him. “Jason, I did mess up—I didn’t respond quickly enough to patient complaints on his social media sites. I thought we’d agreed that his office was going to follow up on those, but he changed his mind without me realizing. Not responding to complaints can turn a PR situation into a nightmare. People’s moods can shift quickly on social media and it becomes a free-for-all. Dr. Maibe is upset because he may have lost potential clients on this, and I am partly responsible for that. I have to make it right.”

Her stomach twisted with guilt as the tension ratcheted up inside her. She was always worried that she might make a costly mistake. There had been times when she’d woken up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because she feared she’d forgotten something. She had several checkpoints to ensure she didn’t make mistakes but her system wasn’t infallible.

“Aren’t you listening to me, Claire?” He tilted his head back and sighed. “It still doesn’t give him the excuse to act that way.”

Claire inhaled deeply as the anger mingled with self-recrimination. She didn’t want to point out all of her mistakes in front of him but he wouldn’t let it go. “Dr. Maibe and I signed an agreement about what I was supposed to do for him, but he made changes at the last minute and I didn’t catch it. I didn’t give his project my full attention and he knows it.”

Jason tilted his head and his eyes narrowed. “What did he say?”

She looked at the ground as she felt the heat resurface in her cheeks. “He said I was too busy fooling around with you.”

“He’s angry that you have a personal life? You aren’t made to work all day. Maibe expects that from you.” His shoulders grew stiff and he slowly shook his head. Jason dragged his hands over his face. “Hell, even I expected that from you. But I won’t do that anymore. We’re cutting our projects down by half.”

“Half?” Claire took a step back. She felt as if someone had pulled the rug out from under her. How long had he been considering this? Jason had constantly praised her work and showed his appreciation and now he was taking projects away from her. “Why? What’s changed?”

“You work too much,” Jason declared. “I thought you enjoyed putting in all the hours but that’s not the case at all.”

Why hadn’t she predicted this outcome? It was as if he’d thought she was an all-powerful wizard and now that she had pulled down the curtain to show she was human, he was backing away. “No one you hire will work harder than me.”

“You don’t have anything to prove.”

He was wrong. It was important to show everyone that she could be independent and successful, to prove to herself that nothing could drag her down.

She curled her fingers into her palms, her nails digging into her flesh. “Is this because of Dr. Maibe’s complaints? Are you worried that I might make a mistake that will cost you money?”

“No,” he said. “Why would I listen to him?”

“What else could it be?” She was trying to keep the hurt and confusion from her voice and she knew she was failing. “Is it because we are having a fling? Are you worried that I might not get the job and it will be too awkward if we continue to work together?”

“We both know you’re getting the job in Los Angeles.”

“Then why are you backing off?” It suddenly occurred to her. Claire clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. “Oh, I see. It’s because I’m not as smart as you thought I was.”

His eyes narrowed into slits as his features grew harsh. It was an intimidating sight. “That’s not true,” he said in a growl.

“I appreciate you defending me, Jason. I’m sorry that I got angry about that. I know your heart was in the right place.” She gave a huff before she continued. “But I made a mistake on Dr. Maibe’s project. And he was right. I got distracted with my personal life this week and that can’t continue.”

“What are you saying?”

“I spent way too much time doing other things. Trying to reinvent myself in a week before Max shows up. Having a temporary fling with you.” She closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her forehead as she tried to maintain her composure. “It’s time for me stop all of it.”

“You want to end it?” His words came out slowly.

Her eyes started to sting with tears. No, she didn’t want it to end. She wanted their fling to go past the deadline and maybe even deepen into something more. And that was the problem. “The idea of making me into a brazen and wild woman was ridiculous,” she said hoarsely. “What was I thinking? And do it in a week?” She shook her head. “Impossible.”

“We can do it,” he insisted. “You are brazen and wild.”

She was for him. Only for him, and she was prepared to keep it that way. When she was alone with Jason, she felt safe and cherished. She could be daring or sweet, fun or intense, annoying or clinging. He had encouraged her to show how she felt and tell him what she wanted. Apparently she had gotten caught up in the fantasy.

“The fling has already done its job,” Claire said as she rolled her shoulders back and placed her hands on her hips. It was time to act as if the only thing she shared with him was business. “There is no use in delaying the inevitable.”

“That’s not why you slept with me.” His tone was sharp. “Don’t pretend that it was.”

She gave a tight, closed-mouth smile. “That’s true, but I need to focus more on my job now. We had a good run, don’t you think?”

He stared at her, his light blue eyes dull as his mouth flattened into a grim line. “Got me out of your system already?” he asked in a raspy voice.

She clenched her jaw before she blurted out how she really felt. She was never going to get Jason Strong out of her system. Claire would always fantasize about him. She was very close to falling in love with him. So it was better if they parted now. The longer they were together, the more she would want. The more she would dream.

Claire abruptly glanced down at her feet. She couldn’t meet his gaze as the emotions were swelling in her chest. “You have to agree that this is best for both of us.”

“No.”

She jerked her head up. “What do you mean, no?” Why was he being difficult? He was the one who only did temporary relationships. He should be thrilled that she was pulling the plug. Or did he have a problem with the fact that he hadn’t been the one to call it off? No, he wasn’t that petty. “We aren’t going to achieve any more in two days.”

“I’m saying no because you’re trying to hide again,” he accused. “This is why you’re so great at social media. You only want to show the edited version of yourself.”

“There is nothing wrong with showing your best self to the public. What good will come out of today? I want to go home right now because I’m embarrassed about what happened between me and Dr. Maibe.”

“This isn’t about today. I know what you’re going to do after this week is over. You’re going to lock yourself in your office and keep the world away. It won’t work again, Claire. I’ll drag you out every time you try. I won’t let you use your work as an excuse.”

“Excuse? Did you see what happened out there?” She marched over to the door. “That was a wake-up call.”

“No, it wasn’t, and don’t try to use it as one.” Jason crossed his arms and gave her a cold look. “You’ve been pulling away since Monday and we both know why.”

“You’ve got me all figured out, Jason?” Her voice was loud and she couldn’t seem to lower it. She had to get out of here.

“You hide because you think if you open up to people they will mistreat you.”

“Brilliant deduction.” Claire grabbed for the doorknob. She had to get out of there. The more she was losing control, the calmer he sounded. She felt exposed and vulnerable, the two things she always tried to avoid.

“But you don’t see that you treat
yourself
differently.”

Claire jerked back and whipped around to glare at Jason. “What are you talking about?”

“Maibe yelled at you and you let him—”

“He had every right—”

“No, he doesn’t!” Jason splayed his hands in the air. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. If he shouted at one of your friends, you would defend them. If he had been yelling at me, you would step in between the two of us and have at him. But you don’t defend yourself because you believe you deserve that kind of treatment.”

“No, that’s not true.” Was it? Claire blinked rapidly as the tears began to burn. She didn’t defend herself most of the time because there was a good chance she was in the wrong.

“I won’t let anyone speak to you that way. And I don’t care if you’ve made a mistake,” Jason vowed. “I don’t care if it happens here or in your home. I’m not going to let anyone mistreat you.”

“You don’t understand what was going on.” She wrenched the door open, desperate to leave. She was emotional and needed to step away from the situation to think clearly.

“I understand more than you want to admit.”

Claire paused at the threshold. “We have known each other forever, Jason. We have worked closely together for the past year, you have been in my bed this week and you still don’t understand anything about me.”

* * *

J
ASON
STOOD
IN
front of Claire’s apartment door hours later. Her words had spun in his head all day and he hadn’t been able to quiet his doubts. He’d eventually cut out of work early, a decision that had shocked his employees. All he could think about was making things right with Claire, but he didn’t know where to start.

Jason stared at the white door in front of him as he waited for Claire to answer his knock. It had been a few minutes and he was beginning to doubt she would open the door. Why was he bothering anyway? Jason glanced over his shoulder. He should just cut his losses and move on. It was how he always handled his flings.

He couldn’t do that this time, though. This relationship was different.
He
was different with Claire. The fling had started out fake but he’d gotten a glimpse of what it would be like to share his life with Claire. He liked what he saw.

Jason knocked on the door harder. He knew she was there because her car was in the parking lot. But her silence told him everything he needed to know without saying a word. She had ignored his texts and calls. And she should. He realized now that he had gone too far.

His sister always complained that he was overprotective. He shouldn’t have forced that on Claire. Just because he was sleeping with her, just because he felt tenderness toward her, it didn’t mean he could interfere.

But it was more than tenderness. It was more than desire. Claire was the most fascinating person he knew and he had fallen for her. He’d fallen hard, fast and easy.

But he couldn’t be sure if it was love or just infatuation. Either way, he didn’t want to hold her back from moving to LA and fulfilling her dreams. He should walk away before he got in deeper.

Jason turned just as the door swung open. Claire stood before him in a fluffy bathrobe. His gut twisted at the sight of her. Her long hair was damp and coiled around her head. The robe was too big and fell over her shoulder. Beads of water clung to her fair skin.